Was the Asian Feast Delicious?

If I had a food name it would have to be Soyabean summerr.

Cos I love tauhuay and tauhuay chui. Especially the one at Rochor. Aiyo die, now got craving.

So how? Did you guys enjoy the Idol Asian Feast? Overall I had a good time. I laughed at all the food jokes. I thought the Idols looked great in their colourful 'Asian'-ish outfits. I thought Gurmit looked very good in that blinged-out, modern-Asian jacket (and stubble). I thought Fried Rice Flo looked awesome in her chocolate saree and extra hair! And Duck Rice Dick's jacket - loved the interesting collar and detail - loved it! And Ken was...ChicKEN Rice..heheheheh.

As always, watching the show live is great. There's the in-studio atmosphere always makes for an exciting experience because everything is heightened. I've also watched the show on tv now. So lets get this review started shall we....

Sashimi Sylvia - 'Sinaran' by Sheila Majid

When I saw her perform this live I thought she did great. It was a great start to the show. Watching it back on tv, I realised she seemed a little shaky, and perhaps a little stressed (but only very little), perhaps trying to remember lyrics. Kudos to her for doing a song in a language she doesn't really speak. Vocally, I think she was pretty good overall.

Judges said :

Dick – You chose a beautiful song and sang it beautifully. Week after week you own the stage.

Flo – It was delicious, delectable and delightful.
Ken – This performance was a lot better than last week’s. You don’t have a unique voice but you can stand out from the rest if you have a style of your own.

Agree or disagree? Totally agree with the judges. However, I think she did Bon Jovi well too last week. Imo, she's showing that she is pretty versatile.

Dimsum Duane - 'Dang Ni' by Cyndi Wang

When Duane first told me about this song I had no idea what it was until I did my homework and found it on YouTube. It was quite popular on the karaoke circuit. A nice enough song, but not what I would call a competition song, it was perhaps too simple? Both on tv and in studio, the song sounded a little flat. My only 'hurrah' for that performance was that Duane looked comfortable singing it (despite never having sung a chinese song before!) That and I thought he looked nice with the scarf - good styling:)

Judges said :

Dick – You were limited by the song, it just wasn’t you. Your personality was missing, you have a unique character and you need to use it.
Flo – I wished you picked a cuter Chinese song; this was too heavy for you.
Ken – You should have delivered it in your own style. When you try to be like the other contestants, you are opening yourself for comparisons.

Agree/disagree? Unfortunately I kind of have to agree with the judges. I felt the song didn't really do anything for Duane. I disagree with Ken though, because I don't think Duane was trying to be like the others - maybe the scarf made him think Duane was trying to be Faizal?! Dunno la Uncle Ken.

Mee Bandung Malaque - 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' from the OST of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (Hindi movie)

I thoroughly enjoyed Malaque's performance. IMO, definitely best performance of the night! It had everything visually and vocally and it was so very convincing! All the little vocal nuances were there. She looked and danced the part too. Wow, I'm sure she won over many fans with that performance - and she looked soooo pretty!! When I watched it on tv again, I was still blown away. Well done Malaque! Clap Clap Clap!

Judges said :

Dick – Your Hindi was very convincing. One of your best performances.
Flo – That was your breakthrough performance.
Ken – If you pick the right song, you will last longer in the competition

Agree/disagree? Totally agree with the judges. Two great performances in a row (last week's Right Here Waiting was very nice too), lets hope for a hat trick shall we?

Ayam Cili Padi Amira - 'Batik Pa' by Jessa Zaragoza

I think Amira should be proud of the way she sang this song. She delivered it with emotion and maturity. I thought it sounded consistent both live and on tv. Although I have no idea what she was singing, I could understand the emotion behind it. She said she chose a Tagalog song because she wanted to dedicate it to the victims of the typhoon that hit Philippines recently, and to me at least, it felt like she meant every word.

Judges said :

Dick – You look the most elegant tonight but you could have picked a much better song, I feel you’re losing it.

Flo – You’ve got the voice but you need to find the qualities that would make you “Idol-esque”.
Ken – You lack flexibility, hence your singing is one dimensional.

Agree/disagree? I kinda disagree about the whole one dimensional thing when she's singing. She came across very sincere to me. But like Ken said, she comes across as someone who doesn't like to talk much - which is rather true. But I don't think that should be held against her. It may 'work' to her disadvantage in a reality show though.

Satay Sezairi - 'Jeritan Batinku' by P. Ramlee

Hands down, best vocals of the night, both live and on tv. Pitch perfect throughout and with so much emotion. I have to admit I wasn't sure if he could pull off this classic hit. I mean, its P. Ramlee, that's like Asia's Frank Sinatra for lack of a better description. And 'Jeritan Batinku' is one of his most recogniseable hits from one of his biggest movies. Its a big task. The last person to sing it was Dato' Siti Nurhaliza. I am so glad to say he did it and he kicked major b*tt! Very well done!

Judges said :

Dick – I like that performance, you sounded very elegant and jazzy.
Flo – You added so much emotion to that song.
Ken – Good vocals, but you need to concentrate on correcting your flaws to realize your potential

Agree/disagree? Hell yea! Agree on all the good stuff! The smoky vocals and jazzy feel were great, and I loved the outfit! Especially the kerongsang - nice touch!

Mooncake Mae - 'Nobody' by the Wondergirls

Everyone knows this song. And most people love it. I loved it. I thoroughly enjoyed Mae's performance! As always she comes across as smooth, calm and collected. Starting off slow, she picked up the beat mid way, added in nicely timed dance moves (similar to what the Wondergirls did, but not exactly, 'because she's Mae and a Wondergirl' :) <-- I'm quoting choreographer Zaki). One thing that irked me was that Mae did a cool move where she posed with her mic stand for dramatic effect, (looked great LIVE) but it wasn't caught on camera for tv audiences. Such a waste!

Nice job Mae, totally enjoyable! I also liked it when they interviewed the Korean language coach (good job MediaCorp on providing a language tutor to perfect the Idols' diction!) and she said Mae's Korean was good! :)

Judges said :

Dick – You performed it well.
Flo – You were cool, calm and collected. You rocked it!
Ken – I am still waiting for that performance that would be awesome. Hopefully you will bring it next week

Agree/disagree? Yup, agree. I even agree with Ken in a way. Mae's been consistently good, but I would love to see greatness, which I KNOW she is capable of. MJ week perhaps? :)

Fishball Faizal - 'Hapus Aku' by Nidji

I loved Faizal's performance. It was so nice to see him change it up and do a more 'rock' song as opposed to the usual R&B and pure pop he's been doing. Granted it was 'pop rock' but at least got 'rock' right? I liked it. And like always, the camera (and all the little girls out there, including mine) loves Faizal.

Judges said :

Dick – You are a very good performer but you need to give the audience good songs. Not your best.

Flo – You nailed the presentation but you need to focus. Not your usual best.
Ken – Your song was fine, but you need to lose that lady-like sensibility you’re portraying.

Agree/disagree? Watching it back on tv, it did come across a little flat, like the music was drowning him a little. But he seemed focused to me, perhaps it wasn't the right song, but I give him props for trying something different - and like I said, I liked it. Uncle Ken - he where got lady-like leh? <-- so random lor!

Tandoori Tabitha - 'Ting Hai' by A*Mei

Big song, but Tabby has the vocal chops to do it. Imo, she sounded better on tv than she did live. Maybe because in studio, you could 'feel' her stress too? It was such a tough song choice, plus in a language she's not comfortable in, so major major kudos and props to Tabby for doing this song.

Actually, I heard she totally nailed it during practice. But as some fans of the song will know, she made a lil boo boo in the lyrics after the first verse, and that just sent her into a tailspin - so I give her even more props for carrying on like a trooper and keeping her calm. Good job girl, you pulled it off, really you did! Now breathe, cos Asian week's over!

Judges said :

Dick – You pulled it off quite well.
Flo – You look gorgeous, well done!
Ken – That was a brave song choice. You need to relate to younger audience, you are 17 not 27!

Agree/disagree? Totally agree with the good comments. Kinda agree with Ken on the '17 not 27' comment. But I put it down to good grooming and upbringing. She's a very poised young lady, so perhaps that makes her seem more mature than her 17. Lets see her let loose next week for MJ week!

Fish Head Curry Farhan - 'Teman Istimewa' by Taufik Batisah

I think this is Farhan's best performance so far. The song may seem simple but actually is a pretty tough song to sing. I liked the 'mandarin' start and finish - nice touch. And he looked so charming (as Flo said). Farhan, you gotta always wear lots of white - you look good in white dude!

Even Ken gave him props for listening to advice and working on his flaws AND he improved. Perhaps it was just a little too late...or it was the whole exams thing - conspiracy theorists are gonna have a field day with this one!

Judges said :

Dick – You did pretty well but not a great performance. I need to see something more.

Flo – You look absolutely charming.
Ken – You need more time to work on your vocals.

Agree/disagree? Agree. Ken also made a comment about how it was exam week and that it would impact his votes. Imo, Ken may just have been spot on with that one.

Chee Cheong Fan Charles - 'An Jing' by Jay Chou

I was really looking forward to this performance and it didn't disappoint. Vocally it was good, both live and on tv. But Charles did look a little stressed throughout and it looked like it was due to the piano playing. Nonetheless a very commendable rendition of a beautiful song.

Dick said he shouldn't have played the piano if he wasn't comfortable. But I think the piano added to the whole 'feel' of the song, I think it wouldn't have been as emotional if he had just sung to the backing track. Maybe a live pianist would have been ideal?

Judges said :

Dick – Your singing has improved a lot tonight.

Flo – You did the song well but I miss the beat-boxing Charles. Bring him back.
Ken – You are supposed to connect with the audience and your performance was terrible. But everyone should still vote for Charles as he is someone with potential.

Agree/disagree? Agree that he has improved. Agree that he is someone with potential. Disagree with the 'bring back beatboxing' comment - I mean, c'mon, you guys just crucified him two weeks ago for beatboxing so much and now you want it back - way to confuse a guy. I disagree with the comment, but I DO want to hear him beatbox again :) hrm, beatbox + MJ = magic?

Nagasari Nurul - 'Made In India' by Alisha

There's always pressure on the person who ends the show. And I think Nurul did a wonderful job of closing the show. It wasn't even about the song anymore, it was everything else - her colourful outfit, the setting, the groovy beat and her 'bollywood-esque' performance.

Good job on the colourful. I miss her husky vocals though - so am so glad she is still in, I can't wait to hear her sing an MJ song next week!

Judges said :

Dick – There was not enough fun on stage, it was a little too tame.

Flo – You seem to be very comfortable with gimmicky songs but you need to balance them with great vocals.
Ken – Whether you “Walk Like An Egyptian” or you’re “Made in India”, something does not seem to be working. You pick songs that do not showcase your vocal tones.

Agree/disagree? I kinda agree about the vocals part - that Nurul should focus on showcasing her best asset which is her vocals. Yes she's a natural comedienne, but the vocals should come first in a 'singing' competition.

Overall, a very enjoyable show. I didn't expect to enjoy this theme, but I thoroughly did. The colourful outfits really complemented the show too so kudos to the stylist who dressed the Idols, especially their Results Show outfit! They looked so good doing Jaiho!

The Results Show

Every week I sit on this rollercoaster ride called The Results Show. Why don't they just add a height requirement chart at the door? I mean seriously, this can't possibly be healthy right?

When the unsafe group stepped forward and it was Sylvia (shocking!), Tabitha (were her fans THAT unforgiving for a little lyric boo-boo?!), Farhan (I'm sure the parents confiscated their phones - I never thought Farhan would ever be in the bottom few!) and Sezairi (but he performed so well!), Justin Jap and I were huddled in a corner stage right, gripped with panic.

Justin : If its Airi I'm gonna collapse right now.

Me : Oh no, this is too much, I'm like gonna pee in my pants already!

Justin : If its Airi I'm gonna collapse now. Gasp! If its Sylvia I'm gonna collapse now.

Iz : I can't watch. (eyes transfixed on stage of course)

A moment later, Sylvia and Tabby were sent to safety and fwaah, relief for like 2 secs then it was back to....stress....

Justin : If its Airi, I'm gonna collapse now.

Me : OMG, its gonna be Airi right, cos Farhan's fans are like crazy voters. Aiyo I can't watch....

Justin : 'see above'

Me : I hate this part of the show.

Justin : 'see above' .

And then, it was over. For Farhan.

I was surprised. I had all but convinced myself that Farhan was invincible. The way things were going, I was expecting a Farhan - Faizal finale at Indoor Stadium this December. Perhaps that's what all his fans thought too, and they got complacent. Either that, or everyone else's fans stepped it up a notch this week.

Regardless, perhaps it was Farhan's time to go, considering the kind of nasty negative stuff he's been getting online on almost every platform, it may have been a blessing in disguise for his self-esteem and overall well-being to be spared the public 'hatred' (it was terrible for Jerry Ong and Joakim Gomez).

Farhan dear, you know you will always have my support, keep reaching for your dreams.

In the words of your Idol :

"Doesn't matter if I win,

Or the colour of my skin,

Cos the race is all about

Believing in yourself"

- from 'I Dream' by Taufik Batisah

Keep your dream alive, always....

xoxo, s.

ps. I thought it was quite clever of MediaCorp to schedule in Vasantham Star winner (and cutie) Viknesh (did I get his name right? I googled and couldn't find his full name :P tsk!) to perform. Was it just me or did we get a free Bollywood night on Idol - woot! loved it! Malaque, Nurul, Jai Ho and Vik! Niiiice!